Author: Rhys Gregory

Winners of the 2019 Cardiff Business Awards have been announced at a lavish ceremony held at City Hall. Hosted by the broadcaster Jamie Owen, the event celebrated the achievements of many of the capital’s businesses from across a range of sectors. [aoa id=”1″]With a full house of over 400 people, 16 awards were handed out with the Cardiff Business of the Year accolade going to architectural metal building solutions business, the Euroclad Group while the Outstanding Contribution to Cardiff award went to Dr Drew Nelson OBE who, through his company IQE PLC, is building a world class compound semiconductor cluster…

In some respects, the Australian dollar (AUD) may not seem like a candidate to be one of the most popular pairing currencies for forex traders. After all, Australia is hardly one of the world’s largest countries in terms of GDP, whilst it only ranks 19th in terms of the value of its exports. However, the AUD is currently ranked as the fifth most traded currencies in the world, whilst the AUD/USD is considered to be the fourth most popular pairing in the whole of the forex market (we’ll touch further on this later). In this post, we’ll explore the economy…

Estate agent’s fees form a considerable part of the expenses of selling your property, and you might find yourself with a bill of around 2.5% of the selling price. With the average house in the UK now valued at around £220,000, this could be as much as £5,500, so selling your house without using an estate agent sounds like an attractive idea. If you are well-organised, experienced and have enough time, you can certainly sell a property yourself, but the task is not one for the fainthearted! The advantage of selling a property yourself The main advantage of selling your…

Eligible new enterprises in Caerphilly are to receive another year of grant support, thanks to UKSE and Caerphilly County Borough Council. [aoa id=”NaN”] The highly successful  Business Start Up programme, which helped 12 new businesses to launch last year, will be continuing to provide grants for qualifying ventures in 2019/20. Tata Steel subsidiary UKSE has provided a further £5000  for this year as part of its community support programme, and the organisation is looking forward to another year of working with the council to give start-ups a helping hand. [/aoa] Martin Palmer of UKSE said: ”We are very pleased to…

Ceredigion councillors have supported a motion to make Ceredigion County Council a net zero carbon local authority by 2030. The councillors supported the motion in a meeting on 20 June 2019. [aoa id=”1″]The agreed motion was based on Councillor Mark Strong’s initial motion which raised concerns about a Climate Crisis. An amendment was made to commit the council to an ambitious and specific target. Councillors also agreed that a clear plan should be developed within 12 months to achieve the net zero carbon status.[/aoa] Councillors also called on Welsh and UK Governments to provide the support needed to achieve effective…

Wales’s creative industries sector is set to benefit from a £1.8m EU funding investment in a high-level skills programme led by Aberystwyth University. The funding will support the Advanced Media Production programme, which aims to raise innovation and productivity by working with professionals in the sector, including recent graduates. As part of the programme, 155 people will be trained to exploit new technologies in media production over the next four years, including 100 to Masters or PhD level. [aoa id=”1″] The training will support a more intensive approach to research and innovation within the sector, and will help employers address…

After an overwhelming response from fans in London, Marvel’s Avengers S.T.A.T.I.O.N. has opened in Cardiff (June 22nd) at St David’s Shopping Centre. [aoa id=”1″] The exhibition runs until Monday, September 9,  and will be the first time the experience has been open in the UK outside of London. This highly anticipated multi-room exhibition offers fans of all ages the opportunity to delve into the super-workings and backstory of each member of The Avengers as they train to become an agent of the S.T.A.T.I.O.N. [/aoa] S.T.A.T.I.O.N. is an acronym for Science Training and Tactical Intelligence Operative Network, and is where guests can step…

Officers investigating a series of incidents of right-wing graffiti in Cardiff have charged a man with 11 offences relating to inciting racial hatred. Elliott Richards-Good, from Cheltenham, was arrested in September 2018 following the incidents between October 2017 and April 2018. The 19-year-old was charged today (Friday, June 21) following an investigation by the Wales Extremism and Counter Terrorism Unit (WECTU), supported by South Wales Police. He faces five counts of possessing threatening written material to stir up racial hatred; two counts of displaying abusive or insulting material with the intent to stir up racial hatred; two counts of possessing…

Vehicle lease contracts are becoming increasingly popular with everyday buyers, and while it was common for many businesses to lease vehicles before, we are seeing a clear trend towards even more businesses going for this option. There are many factors fuelling this growth, including tax incentives and the growing influence of start-ups on the market. Let’s take a look at some of the numbers behind this trend and reasons why car leases seem so attractive to new businesses. The Numbers It has been estimated that about 300,000 vehicles in total were leased to businesses in 2017. Another surprising statistic was…

The people of an historic neighbourhood are gearing up for a free street party celebrating 50 years of Swansea – and residents from across the city are invited! Residents of Sandfields will get together with friends from across Swansea on June 27 to help mark half a century of city status. Starting at 3.30pm – convenient for those towards the end of their school and work day, it will feature live music, other performances, street food and free activities. There will be art, poetry, drumming, a pop-up skate park, rides and games. Also being planned are a 50 years pop-up…